Bittersweet Symphony
by xXJeevas-sonXDXx
Summary: Cause it's a bittersweet symphony; that's life. Rated for later chapters. Vamp!Austria, and other such things. If you like blood and fangs and hate sparkly vampires, stick around. Spain x Austria.
1. Fiction

The life of a vampire;

It's not all glamour and riches, the way Hollywood likes to make you believe. It's not the love triangles and affairs that those books like to make you believe. Though, I must say, the Vampire Louis, would have sympathised with me had he been something more than a work of fiction. Then again; is that not what you all believe us to be? Fiction. Characters. Fairy tales. The monsters under your bed that your parents told you about when you were children. In truth, we are. To those blinded by the sunlight, anyway. To everyone else, we are very much real.

I apologize for that tone. I don't mean to frighten you. Quite the opposite really. I wish to tell you a story. A story I know will be published and slipped in between a row of books categorized as 'Fiction' but I'd like to start out by telling you, that this is not the case. It's very real. Perhaps...more real than the real world? Yes, perhaps. I will not lie to you, for I am a noble creature and pride myself in all I've done. I regret nothing...

Nothing at all.

Saying good-bye to sunlight, had not been as difficult as I had once thought. Not in the least. Saying good-bye to my family, my friends, had been the easiest thing in the world for me. I never once looked back, never once gave a damn if they lived, if they missed me, if they sought me out, if they constantly berated themselves for not finding a single trace of me; as if I had merely vanished into thin air. I did not care. With my death, came this detachment from normal human feelings and reactions and though it should have frightened me, shaken me to the very core that I could not feel a single thing...it didn't. Because...well, I could not feel it. Couldn't feel that pety human emotion. Not anymore.

Century upon century...I was empty. Trying to fill that void with blood and death and destruction. I felt alone despite the constant company I kept; or, seemed to attract because I could not bring myself to enjoy said company, no matter how I forced myself to. My cold skin was numb to their touch, their friendly handshakes, their kisses, caresses...I felt not a thing and in so, was wild and frantic in my desperation to feel something. Anything at all.

Then one day, I met him...

and I felt again.

- Roderich Edelstein.

* * *

**A/N:** Guess who~? Yeah, it's me again with more vampire good-ness. Hetalia this time because I think Spain x Austria is soooo unloved and It's my favorite Hetalia pairing. Yay Habsburgs~! Anyway...just a little intro.

~ Matt.


	2. Sin

.:Bittersweet Symphony:.

Chapter 1

_I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down._

* * *

_It's a simple thing; dying._

_Your heart stops, you cease to be. Simple._

_Immortality is painful, difficult, suffocating..._

_Your heart has stopped, but still, you suffocate._

_Painful._

I remember the room as it had been, as though it had been merely a day ago that I had seen it last.

A four poster bed, the palest sheets lined with lavender lace. So much white, crisp and clean, just as I had wanted it. The walls, the rugs, the curtains, all white with only the faintest caress of lavender here and there. Yes, I remember it well. The way the room almost seemed to glow, even in the dim shadow of candle light. White; so pure.

So... marred with sin.

I sat perched at the edge of my bed, the taste of alcohol on my lips, stolen body heat at my side. Even now, the incident was hazy to me. Whether it was my grief and guilt, or the alcohol working its magic, I've yet to find the answer. But I awoke to the slender, smaller body beside me, and my stomach churned. What had I done? How? When? How had this poor child allowed me to do such a thing? How... could I have allowed myself?

So God fearing was I, that I had brought all the angels down from heaven to beg for their forgiveness, but it did not seem to matter, for my heart ached, weighed heavily in my chest and I could not move from the spot. They would listen not to my pleas. I would hear not a single whisper of forgiveness, for I had defiled an innocent child -a servant- a poor innocent child, and the angels would look upon me no more; if they did, it would be with revulsion.

Silent tears had been washing down my face, and I had been blind to them until I could taste them on my lips. Misery, how you love me so! I knew of nothing that could be done to rectify this. Not a damned thing.

He stirs, and I let out a sob.

Judgment has surely come!

It has come in the form of large, innocent green eyes. Wide with concern. Concern! My heart breaks... it breaks, and I stumbled away from the ever questioning gaze, fearing that it would soon lay as nothing more than a pile on the ground and I should feel no more. How the fear of that simple, impossible thing, gripped me so. How naive I had been. It was better to feel nothing than to carry the weight of my sins. I was being crushed beneath it and I was desperate for an escape that would never come. "Bitte..." I begged the child. Please. "Bitte!"

And he climbed from my bed, dropping in front of me and whispering in quick, hushed German. '_Sir, do not cry. I hold no grudge against you. This is what I live for; to serve you, my master. Do not cry_.' As he wiped away my tears with his pale hands. Pale... white, pure. I had tainted them and I feared their touch. "Bitte..." I repeated, trembling.

His words, haunted me most of all.

- Roderich Edelstein, 1506.

* * *

**A/N**: Short? Yes, it's supposed to be this way. Apologies for the lack of updates. Getting back to writing~ In any case, dark chapter, I realize, but vampires aren't suppose to be kitties and rainbows.

~ Matt.


	3. Green Eyes

.:Chapter 2:.

_You know the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet_.

* * *

Traffic. Why was there always so much _traffic_?

If there was one thing that set Roderich off about the 21st Century, it was the invention of the automobile. Excuse me, the car. Good God, New York city was up to its brim with cars. Was it not best to walk, then? Goodness, one could get to their destination faster if they were on foot. He'd gotten around to actually driving his own car the other day and had spent almost an hour in traffic, while he might have been able to get to the book store faster via roof-top.

Yes, being a vampire had its perks.

In any case, Roderich was, to say the least, irritated. Now, an irritated vampire was a scary thing to most people, but, most people didn't seem to be around, for everyone kept bumping into him and telling him to watch where he was_ fucking_ going in their thick New York accents. Rude.

What was a vampire of such high class doing in New York? Well, much what anyone else would be doing. Living. Or at least in his case, a poor imitation of the act. As it was, he'd been wandering through Europe like a lost soul for years until he decided that he'd been fed up with the old world. Rome was breath-taking, Paris was beautiful and Berlin was even greater still, but he had taken in all he could bear there. It was time for a change of scenery. So, it was on to the New World. To America.

He had tried the sunny beaches of Miami to begin with, but the hot, sticky weather had never been his cup of tea. And then he'd moved clear across the country to California where he had lived for a month in the city of Angels. While the name was lovely and the city had its character, Los Angeles just hadn't been what he was looking for in a home. And then there was Washington. Ah, Washington had been wonderful, but even so, it wasn't what he was looking for.

To be frank, he had traveled to every state before ending up in Baton Rouge. Louisiana had been kind to him, and he had even resided in New Orleans for a good portion of his stay. The Creole and French history was there in its architecture, in its people and food, and while he would have liked to remain there, his never ceasing feelings of emptiness, of yearning to be satiated kept him from settling.

And so here he was, in New York; at the very gate of freedom. The city was home to people of every color, culture, size... Variety was not in short supply here and Roderich felt as though perhaps... perhaps he would find what he was looking for here. If not here, then where? He had traveled the world over and had yet to find a thing. What could it hurt to search here?

Then again, the Austrian wasn't quite sure what exactly it was he was searching for.

"Move!"

Roderich felt his eye twitch. He wanted so very much to snap at the teenaged human that had almost hit /him/ with his bicycle, danke. But he would keep his comments to himself. He was centuries old, and he would not bring himself down and argue with a child. That would be ridiculous of him.

Gott. Everyone was always in a hurry.

The Austrian adjusted his glasses a little, expression neutral as he crossed the street in a few short strides. The glasses were for show, of course. Prop, if you will. It wasn't as though a vampire would actually need such a thing, but... he figured it couldn't hurt to look just a little more human.

It was late. He pulled back the sleeve of his winter coat in order to check his watch and hummed softly. A few minutes to one in the morning. There weren't too many people on the sidewalks -though the streets were still swelling with cars- and yet the few that were walking still managed to somehow think he was in their way. Hmph.

There was music playing in the distance and he figured he was almost there. He was searching for a club. Though, it was more like an old warehouse to be honest. Ah, yes. There it was. 'Pehr Space' was the simple logo painted in white on a black door. It was nestled in a dark alley between two different apartment buildings. The music from inside was muffled and a light came on as he stepped into the alley. Likely one of those motion activated ones.

Reaching the door, Roderich gave a sharp knock and was instantly let it, but not before receiving a stamp on the back of his hand. It was a free show for local bands to come and perform. Pay was optional, as usual, but he always gave the man or woman at the front desk a hundred dollar bill before entering the crowded back room where the band and audience stood.

No one looked at him when he walked inside. No, they were all too busy bobbing their heads in time to the music, tapping their feet, rocking to the beat. The room was warm with all the body heat. Bodies packed close together in the small space. The Austrian stood at the back, leaning casually against the wall which was littered with old graffiti and hand drawn posters of various bands.

The band that was playing was getting quite a reaction from the crowd. Loud, fast and infectious. Even he couldn't stop himself from tapping his foot a little. However, the music wasn't the only thing he was here for. He was here for dinner, and while the young people were distracted by the music, he was scooping the room, hunting.

Roderich loosened his scarf a little more so that the purple cotton simply draped over his shoulders. Maybe he stood out from the others with the way he was dressed. The youth of this generation seemed to think that the tighter one's pants were, the more comfortable they were. And fashionable for that matter. Hair colors of various hues and tones, piercings in places that really should not be pierced... Goodness. And here he was, in a simple black coat and scarf, dressed as if he were going to work rather than a simple night out. Yes, he did stick out like a sore thumb, but it hardly mattered.

The show had dragged on and Roderich was getting hungry. Still, there was one band left to perform, so he wouldn't have to wait much longer. This band was far too loud for his taste. So loud that he could barely even hear the screaming singer. Roderich winced a little, idly rubbing at his temples. Oh, youth. ... And then... The unthinkable happened.

The crowd was jumping and shoving at each other, cheering, screaming and pushing each other as the band continued to play. W-what was this? Roderich pressed himself to the wall, almost wanting to melt against it because for all his immortality, he did /not/ want to be caught in the middle of that... that... what was it called? Mosh pit? Gott. The things he did for a meal.

Why couldn't getting a quick bite be easy? They were in the 21st Century, after all. And if cats could have a litter box that cleaned itself out, then why couldn't vampires invent a way to make blood easier to get? Honestly... Sometimes he wished, just for once, a little bit of luck would fall into his lap. Not a lot of luck, just a little bit. A tiny bit... Was it really too much to as-Oof.

Roderich blinked, confused as to why he suddenly had an armful of human. Oh... Well, he should rant to himself more often. There was a smiling brunette in his arms, cheeks flushed from the heat of the room and likely from all the... er, moshing around. The Austrian kept his expression blank, watching the human as he pulled himself away, flashing a wide, apologetic grin and batting those long lashes... His eyes were green. The greenest green he had ever seen on a human.

"Hey~!" The human exclaimed. "Sorry 'bout that. I'm a bit clumsy." Green eyes chuckled in an embarrassed manner that was oddly cute, with an almost child-like quality to it. "Um, I'm Antonio." He continued after a rather awkward pause. "Want to have a cig outside? My treat~"

Well... Hello, dinner. It was about time.

* * *

Guess who~

**A/N**: Ack. It's been so long since I last updated anything! Things have been hectic, but it seems as though I might be back. This chapter I think could have been better, but hey, I'm a little rusty. I'll try and get back in the game soon. Anywho, ignore any fail grammar and spelling because this was a very spur of the moment update. I know, I'm horrible. Thank you for reading this far and I hope to update soon so be patient with me. Ah... Thoughts? Comments? Cookies?

- Matt.


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